Together with Henri Tagnon, Maurice Staquet was the driving force behind the expansion of the EORTC Coordinating Office, which he directed since 1969 at the Institut Jules Bordet, into the EORTC Data Center, which began operation in January 1974.

Under his leadership, the EORTC Data Center, the first of its kind in Europe (now the EORTC Headquarters), developed into a world class scientific research unit, providing support for the design, conduct and analysis of EORTC clinical trials.

Maurice Staquet obtained his MD from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. From 1958 to 1960, he participated as medical doctor in the Belgian Expedition to the Antarctic and later obtained a Master’s Degree in Biostatistics from Columbia University in New York. He was professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and Honorary Associate Professor at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where he continued his research during several sabbatical leaves.

In 1978, he laid the groundwork for the founding of the International Society for Clinical Biostatistics (ISCB), whose goal is to stimulate research into the principles and methodology used in the design and analysis of clinical research.

He later hosted the first meeting which was held in Brussels in May 1979.

As part of his research activities, he helped to organize the series of US National Cancer Institute (NCI)-EORTC Symposia and co-edited the EORTC Monograph Series dealing with selected topics related to cancer treatment, which were often based on the proceedings of an EORTC Symposium.

Titles included Randomized Trials in Cancer: A Critical Review by Sites, and Cancer Therapy: Prognostic factors and Criteria of Response. He also co-edited books on the Design of Clinical Trials in Cancer Therapy, Controversies in Cancer: Design of Trials and Treatment, and in 1984 Cancer Clinical Trials: Methods and Practice. In the 1980s, he was an invited lecturer for the European School of Oncology and also extended his research activities to AIDS, with the founding of a working group and the editing of a book on the topic.

After his retirement from the EORTC in 1990, he continued his research activities, which included creating the Journal of Quality of Life Research and editing the book Quality of Life Assessment in Clinical Trials: Methods and Practice. He was awarded the medal of Chevalier de l’Ordre de Léopold II by the King of Belgium.

The undersigned all had the privilege of working for Maurice Staquet at the EORTC Data Center. It was a time when funding was scarce, depending essentially on a grant from the US National Cancer Institute (NCI).  Nevertheless, the Data Center prospered and its personnel were able to carry out their work with enthusiasm and considerable scientific freedom. Maurice Staquet was an inspiring leader, who helped shape the career of many individuals who admired his solid leadership and treasured his unconditional support. He had the long-term vision that helped build the EORTC into the internationally recognized research organization that it is today.

Nicole Duez, Dominique Eeckhoudt, Anne Kirkpatrick, Gabriel Solbu, Stefan Suciu, Richard Sylvester, Martine Van Glabbeke, EORTC, Brussels, Belgium
Marc Buyse, International Drug Development Institute and Hasselt University, Belgium
Otilia Dalesio, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam
Nicole Rotmensz, European Institute of Oncology, Milan

In Memoriam

Professor Maurice Staquet, MD, MS (1930 – 2013)